62 
you the results of my careful observations re- 
lating to generation in snakes, 
~ One of my large black snakes, whose mating 
conduct I had witnessed with keen interest in 
the early spring, laid twenty-two eggs. This 
event occurred July 5 The eggs were depos- 
ited one at a time, with apparent effort on the 
part of the snake. Some of them were 14x} 
inches in size and elliptical in form. Others 
were #x}# inches in size, cylindrical in form 
with flat ends, and several of these were con- 
nected at the ends by a thin, thread-like skin, 
about a half inch in length. Cutting through 
the tough skin of an egg I found the contents 
to be similar to the ‘white’ of a hen’s egg. 
Leaving the eggs where the snake deposited 
them for a period of about three weeks I again 
opened one. On cutting through the tough 
skin at this time, a small quantity of albumen 
fell out; next I observed a ball of fatty tissue 
which occupied nearly the whole space in the 
shell. Opening this yoke I found the baby 
snake coiled in its center. Carefully removing 
the little snake I ascertained that its length was 
seven inches; its body was almost transparent, 
its eyes were very prominent and the scale ar- 
rangement was beautifully distinct. The color 
of the baby snake was grayish-white, with dark 
markings. Although I noticed a slight pulsa- 
tion of the heart, showing life, yet the snake 
died when removed from the egg, because im- 
maturely developed. 
